OBLIVIOUS: Our Kind of Honeymoon - A McRoll in the REAL World Story
by Mari217
Summary: Steve and Catherine's honeymoon activities are underway, and include a case of McGarrettitis. Part 12 of the REAL World Wedding Marathon.
_**HAPPY 2nd ANNIVERSARY, SAMMY & ILNA! **__When we sat up till midnight, on our very first session on the Skype, I was giddy with excitement. Little did I know you would become such close friends that you turned into family. I am honored to call you that and am honored to be on this amazing path with you. As always, thank you for everything: friendship, support, laughter and being la famiglia. Love you both xoxo_

 _REALMcRollers, your response to the REAL Wedding Marathon has blown us away. THANK YOU - we are so happy everyone enjoyed attending to celebrate with the REAL Steve & Catherine. You have made the past TWO YEARS in the REAL World even more amazing and fabulous._

 _A final shout out: If not for Sammy, no remodel speak would even remotely make sense. And without Ilna, typos would always abound._

* * *

 **Oblivious - Our Kind of Honeymoon**

 _ **Wednesday, May 4th**_

Mary hugged Catherine and smiled at her reaction to the little gift she'd made. With the use of Grace's printer, Mary had created a lovely photo frame adorned with small lace butterflies. Catherine immediately said it was going right on her dresser.

"I hope you don't mind we stopped over to bring it, but since Grace has the day off school and Aaron and I rented a car for the week … we wouldn't have come if you hadn't insisted …" Mary shrugged.

"Don't be silly. This is our kind of honeymoon. We want to see our family." She smiled genuinely at Grace. "And when Grace texted me about how much I was going to love what you made, how could I not insist you stop by?"

"Grace was sweet to offer me the use of her printer, and then we're headed back to the Hilton to swim."

"I hun'gy." Joan grinned when Catherine kissed her cheek. "Pancakes!"

"I can make breakfast …" Catherine immediately offered, but Mary waved her off.

"No way. You're not cooking for us on your honeymoon. We're taking Joan to meet Aaron for pancakes before I drop Grace at Linda's and we go swimming. Right, Grace?"

"Right. Besides, I know you wanna see everyone and all, but you guys need alone time." Grace sighed. "You should spend the whole day hiking together or having a picnic or something _super_ romantic."

Mary nodded. "We're gonna get going as soon as we say hi to Uncle Steve, okay, peanut? 'Cause we only came by to give Aunt Catherine the picture we took at the wedding." She gestured to the five by seven image Aaron took of Joan in Joseph's arms pointing out a butterfly to Elizabeth.

"Actually, we _are_ going to hike and then go pick up stuff for the remodel," Catherine said as her eyes lingered on the photo a few seconds more.

Mary shook her head. "I shouldn't be surprised you guys are remodeling the bathroom on your honeymoon."

"We like doing projects together." Catherine shrugged and shared a smile with Grace.

"It was sooo romantic when they did the kitchen and Uncle Steve bought the splash ba- I mean backsplash." Grace smiled.

"Where Unca Teeve?" Joan looked around the kitchen from her perch in Catherine's arms.

"He's still out with Cammie, he'll be home soon." Catherine kissed her cheek as she settled her in the booster chair that was affixed on one end of the kitchen table.

"He go work?" Joan questioned and held out a piece of the banana Catherine had placed in front of her. Catherine ate it and smiled to the toddler's delight. "Nummy."

"Uncle Steve's not at work catching bad guys today." Grace chimed in and grabbed Joan's sippy cup from the cabinet to fill with water. "He and Auntie Cath are still on their honeymoon."

"No bad guys?" Joan reached for another slice of fruit.

"Danny taught her that," Mary grinned and asked, "Who goes out to catch all the bad guys?"

Joan smiled and announced "Unca Steve!"

Three pairs of eyes widened, and Catherine let out a little gasp. "Did she just …?"

"I think so!" Grace repeated, "Hey, Joan, who catches bad guys?"

"Unca _Steve_!" she said with a smile and laughed excitedly when everyone clapped and Catherine kissed her cheek.

"Oh, Joan, he's gonna love that soooo much. You said his _whole_ name! Uncle _Steve_ ," she annunciated the S.

"Peanut, when he comes home, you're gonna say, 'Hi, Uncle Steve!' okay? We're all gonna say, 'Hi, Uncle Steve!"

"Unca Steve?" Joan looked around for him.

"Not yet, we're practicing, 'cause he's almost home," Grace explained. "Okay?"

"Okay!" Joan agreed, more because of Grace's upbeat enthusiasm than really understanding, but Catherine was delighted at the thought of Steve's reaction.

Twenty minutes later, Steve entered with Cammie to find Catherine just inside the lanai door.

"Hey." He kissed her. "What?" He gave her an inquisitive look.

"What, ' _What?'_ " She knew she was grinning but couldn't help herself.

"What's goin' on, Rollins?" His eyes scanned the room.

"There may be a little surprise." She pressed her hands together in anticipation before taking one of his.

"Really?" His eyebrows rose in interest as a smile danced across his lips

She could see his expression morph to confusion as the sound of voices floated in from the kitchen. "Not _that_ kind of surprise." She laughed, then lowered her voice, "Yet. Definitely later, but for now, c'mon."

"Hey, Uncle Steve!" Grace called. "Where are you? We're waaaaiting for you."

Upon entering the kitchen - Catherine had stopped and pushed him through the door first - Steve was met by the sight of his sister and nieces grinning at him. "Okay, you're all in on someth …" he began, until Catherine's fingers on his arm stopped him.

"What are we gonna say, Joan?" Mary pointed to her brother.

"Just like we practiced," Grace prompted.

Steve grinned. "Ahh, do you have something to tell me, Joanie?" He began to walk over to her when the toddler threw up both hands and said,

"Hi, Unca _Steve!"_

He stopped dead in his tracks. For a full heartbeat. Catherine thrilled to the beautiful smile that spread across his face as he swooped Joan from her booster and twirled her around.

"You said my name!" He kissed her cheek and flew her above his head to delighted cries of, "I fwy!"

He looked at Catherine. "Did you hear her, Cath?" He stopped spinning and held Joan close. "Mare, Gracie, you heard it, right?"

"Of course we did. She's been practicing for half an hour." Mary laughed. "Who's got you, peanut?"

"Unca Steve! Unca Steve, Unca Steeeeeeve!" Joan chanted, excited at his happy reaction.

Catherine's smile rivaled Steve's - she loved nothing more than seeing him so happy at such a simple family moment, and she stepped close to kiss him and Joan.

"Hey, who's that?" Steve pointed at her with a grin.

Joan reached out, happily transferred to her aunt's arms, and gave her a kiss. "Ann Caf!"

The room erupted in laughter as Steve tickled Joan's tummy. "Okay, one thing at a time."

* * *

Later that morning, after their hike, Steve stepped out of the shower in the downstairs bathroom and wrapped Catherine in an embrace as she entered the room. "Little less space in here, what do you say we move this op upstairs?"

She turned in his arms and nipped at his lips. "Already, hmm?"

He smirked. "What? It's been a whole …" He lifted one arm behind her head and made a show of checking his watch, "forty five minutes and we _are_ on our honeymoon."

"Ohhh, I was talking about you missing our roomier shower already," she pulled him into a kiss, and smiled against his lips as she added, "but you're right, that's much too long." She removed her shirt and let it fall to the floor. "Especially it being our honeymoon and all."

Steve chuckled as he scooped her up and made his way to their bedroom. "This time next week …"

"Yeah?" She moved back a bit to see his grin, which inspired one of her own.

"We'll be making patterns on the new tile. But for now…" They'd reached their bed and he'd lowered her to the mattress. "There's another pattern …" he ran a finger under the strap of her purple and white patterned bra, "I'm very interested in."

Catherine's chuckle rang through the room until it was swallowed in Steve's kiss.

* * *

 **ART & DESIGN BATH CENTER**

Steve and Catherine spotted the young man named Parker, who Art Wallace, the owner of the bath design store, told them would meet them on the floor. Miko Palea, the contractor they'd met as a result of an investigation, and who had the amazing tiles in his own home, had introduced them to Art, and since they were friends with such a high volume customer, Miko was able to use his contractor's discount to get them color changing tiles wholesale.

"Nice to meet you both." Parker smiled broadly. "Art says you're interested in the heat sensitive tiles, those are _definitely_ the coolest thing we sell!" he said with enthusiasm. "They were supposedly inspired by the northern lights. That's what they're called, the Northern Lights Collection. Come right this way." He showed Steve and Catherine the sample area that included a complete mini-tabletop shower with running water. "The tiles are four by four inches. See how they look black at room temperature?" He turned on the water and Catherine grinned at Steve. They had done all the research necessary, but Parker was so excited to show them, she didn't let on.

"So, look how great this is," he continued. "As heat is applied and increased - from the water or radiant output or a person brushing against the tile, it moves through the entire Roy G Biv spectrum. It's perfect for showers and even the whole bathroom floor."

He stepped back to let Catherine adjust the water temperature and watch the colors come alive.

"We're definitely getting these." She nodded to Parker, and Steve added, "We'll need 630 tiles."

"Great! That's great. If you'd like to sit down with Rena, she's our fixture expert, she can help you with the rest of what you need. In the meantime, I'll have these brought to loading so all you have to do is show them the receipt and take them home."

"Thank you, Parker." Catherine smiled, and the young man beamed. "Anytime, ma'am, sir. I've sold quite a few of them as accents, but no one's gotten enough for a whole shower before. I'll just buzz Rena and tell her you're on the way over to see her." He looked between them. "If one of you would like to come on a little detour with me to fill out the payment and delivery information, it will expedite the order, and as soon as you decide on the fixtures, all you'll need to do is sign and go." Knowing he'd want to test out the displays of all the fixtures they'd narrowed it down to, Catherine smiled softly at Steve's enthusiastic look and followed Parker as he went to see the shower heads.

* * *

Steve approached the woman who was standing in the bathroom fixtures area with an extended hand. "Steve McGarrett. I'd like to see these fixtures." He held up his phone to show her the model numbers.

She blinked at him for a second before responding. "Oh, sorry, absolutely, Parker said you and the Lieutenant were headed right over. Come right this way." She ran hand absently through her chin-length dark hair.

Steve automatically sidestepped her touch when she attempted to place a hand on his arm - ostensibly to guide him towards the working fixture displays. "I'm good, I'll just look until Catherine gets here."

Her smile never dimming, Rena nodded. "That's fine. You take all the time you need. And if you need anything, _anything_ at all, you just let me know." She sat behind a desk that faced two chairs and watched his every move.

Catherine chuckled lightly to herself as she came upon on the young woman who would be helping them with fixtures. She doubted even if Steve had his full attention on the woman - which he didn't - that he'd pick up on how her eyes lingered on him as he moved around the area of the showroom. He looked up, sensing her approach, and she smiled as she entered the small, carpeted area.

"Hey. I like that rain forest shower head you picked out online," Steve said as she joined him. He turned to Rena. "And we want the shower bar with adjustable pulsating jets."

Rena's fingers were poised on her tablet, but her eyes remained fixed on Steve. "Please have a seat. When were you looking to begin? We do complete installs and offer design assistance."

"We're doing it ourselves." Steve's mouth twitched up in a small, proud smile and his eyes caught Catherine's as they took the seats in front of Rena's desk.

She nodded and returned his grin.

"That's a huge undertaking, perhaps you should consider our services. I'd be happy to come out and create the blueprint myself." She leaned toward Steve. "You could take a half day off and I'd meet you at your home at your _convenience_." When she emphasized the word, Catherine shook her head slightly. "You'd be back at work in a couple of hours." Rena's eyes flicked to Catherine. "I'm sure you could hold the fort, right?"

Placing his hand gently on Catherine's knee where it touched his, Steve shook his head. "No. I'm not planning this remodel, Catherine and I planned it together. Besides, we enjoy doing things ourselves. So if we can just order the fixtures, we'll be done."

Rena sighed. "Very well. I'll go process the order and you can pick them up at loading with your other items." She stood to walk towards the back of the store but not without a last wistful glance at Steve.

Catherine had a tiny smile on her lips as they got to their feet. "And you have a new admirer." She patted his chest as she nodded almost imperceptibly at the girl's retreating form.

"I know you're busting me this time. It's obvious we're married." He grinned at the word, and she couldn't help smile when he laced their fingers, lifting her hand to indicate her engagement and wedding rings before holding up his own left hand.

"Doesn't matter. There's just gonna be a whole different type of woman now. I don't mean the ones who don't realize, or the long line of crushes," she chuckled at his look, "I'm talking about women who find a married man even more attractive."

Steve's brows knitted. "I know some people don't care, but finding a married guy more attractive …" he shook his head, "why look for trouble?"

"Not sure, exactly. The challenge maybe, or the theory if someone wants him he must have something worthwhile. For some girls, having sex with another woman's husband is an ego boost." She placed a hand on his forearm as they walked through the light fixtures department and gave it a gentle pat before taking his hand. "I've also heard women say there's no strings and no danger of a married guy getting too clingy." She shrugged. "If she just wants the fun of a fling with no worry of him wanting more or trying to move in." Catherine couldn't resist the face he was making and squeezed his fingers gently as they made their way to Art's office at the back of the store to sign for their purchases. "So, if you think us being married is going to deter them all …" She stopped and raised up on her toes to peck his lips quickly. "Afraid not, Commander."

Steve crossed his arms and shook his head. "Not that I don't believe it, because I've seen it a million times, but you'd think they'd pick a guy giving off an 'available to cheat' vibe. Some jackass wanting to screw around on his wife. God knows there's a lot of them out there. Ya know -"

"Hmmm? You were saying?" Catherine smirked as two women passed them in the showroom and slowed down to check out Steve admiringly, their attempt at being discreet a failure.

"Humpf." He turned to follow her eyes, but the women were no longer staring. "Ya know, I do remember Suey and Hoss fending off a lot of women when the team would go out to blow off steam. They're good guys - were never into -" he waved a hand. "Never looking to cheat like some people in port or on leave. Neither was Freddie, but they actually got _more_ attention than he did. Now that I'm thinking about it, he wasn't married, didn't wear -"

"- a ring," she finished. She'd seen it in Steve's eyes when he'd made the connection between the wedding rings his friends had worn and what he'd witnessed in places around the globe with his fellow SEALs.

"Now that you point it out, unless we were in-country somewhere and the locals were actually looking to marry their way out ..." he held up a hand, "and that's completely different. I mean, I get that. That level of desperation for a chance to the get themselves and maybe a child or family member away from a horrible situation or abject poverty. They have every right to take their best shot." Catherine saw the sadness flash in his eyes at one of the many types of horror she, too, had witnessed first hand, as he continued. "But with girls who were looking for a hookup or a night or two of fun, the married guys wearing rings did get hit on as much as the rest of us."

"That's exactly what I meant. Not that a whole ... let's say _genre_ of women ... don't want bragging rights for snaring a night with a SEAL or a fighter pilot, but yep, there you have it. No strings."

"Freddie and I hung with Suey and Hoss a lot because we had different … agendas in the local bars." He caught her eyes. "Eventually, when I didn't pay attention to the hookers or locals or any of the rest, they'd give up and move on," he said with absolute sincerely, and Catherine's heart swelled with pride in his integrity. Even from the very beginning of their relationship, she'd trusted Steve implicitly. She smiled up at him.

"I never noticed anyone else." He took her left hand, touching her rings as he finished, "I had you."

He let go of her hand and slid his arm around her waist as they reached the counter where Miko was chatting with the owner, Art Wallace.

"Hey Steve, Catherine. Congratulations." Miko offered his hand to Steve and gave Catherine a hug. "I have an order to pick up and Art said you were here."

The older man smiled. "You just got married and you're renovating a bathroom? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon? People get divorced over home renovations." He teased.

"This is part of our honeymoon," they said together and smiled at the simultaneous answer.

"Well, in that case, the shower fixtures are a wedding gift," Art said as he took the credit card Steve was holding out and ran it.

"No, we couldn't, not after the very generous discount on the tiles ..." Catherine began, but Art waved away her protest.

"Now, now. I want to." He returned the card and handed her the receipt. "You can pick everything up in loading. And may I ask a small favor?"

She smiled. "Of course."

"Send me a photo when the renovation is complete."

"Definitely. And thanks again."

Steve and Catherine said their goodbyes to the two men and made their way to get the truck and pick up the components for their new bathroom.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Steve stepped into the bathroom to find Catherine pointing her phone at the shower.

"Under construction pictures?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yeah. I thought it would be cool to have them and the before and afters. And we can send copies of the stages to Art." She smirked at him and shook her head. "Although …"

"Although what?" He grinned at her teasing look.

"Bet Rena would prefer one of you for her bulletin board." She couldn't help but laugh.

Steve took the phone and wrapped her in an embrace, turning them to face the vanity mirror. "That's too bad, because the only photos I'm sending anywhere are gonna be of me ..." he took a shot while kissing Catherine playfully on the cheek, "and my _wife_."

 _ **Thanks for reading. Oblvious will return**_

* * *

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 _ **drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com** with "Add me, please!" in the subject line._

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In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community here on fanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in one place. You can find it at **community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World**


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